In the middle of organizations such as the United Nations, and the European Union, and even international religious bodies such as the World Council of Churches, identity and questions about who we are as a people and how we are to be as citizens are critical for discernment, discretion and direction.  And thus, citizenship, within the Commonwealth of Nations, could be a valuable a subject of debate and discussion.

The Commonwealth is host of nations who claim good government, justice, and human rights as essential in the context of international relationships.  As technology provides the means of easy international mobility like never before, who we are as global citizens, or at least, citizens of the commonwealth, needs to be considered with personal awareness along side of national claims and the place where we are in the world among all peoples. 

How do we cross borders with integrity and honesty?  How do we intersect with those who claim a different geographic territory as exclusively belonging to them with respect and dignity?  What standards do we follow when boundaries tend to divide rather than bring different understandings together in harmony and peace, in fairness and wellbeing?

How can a deep level of appreciation and acceptance be achieved for the plurality of various traditions, legends, narratives, customs, colours , cultures, and creeds?

In what ways are policies and proclamations of immigration impacted with a visible and tangible form of a common citizenship of the Commonwealth?

 The Commonwealth is a vibrant and growing association of states working together in a spirit of cooperation, partnership and understanding.  With the vision and wisdom of the Harare Declaration, a common citizenship among all peoples of the Commonwealth could be possible.

David Spence, RCS Council of Mainland British Columbia

Martin Mulloy is the English-Speaking Union’s Director of Education. The English-Speaking Union is an international charity founded in 1918 to promote international understanding and friendship through the use of the English language.

Transcript:

The English-Speaking Union promotes international understanding through the use of the English language. As we know, one of the unifying aspects of the Commonwealth is this common use of English. In practical terms, how does this use of English unite people from very different Commonwealth countries?

Well, I always think of English now as not so much a language; in fact, there’s a famous quote from a Foreign Minister in Germany who said that English isn’t a language as Portuguese, Greek or Spanish indeed is a language, English has become something more, it is the lingua franca for operating all across the world, and I think it’s just a tremendous vehicle to allow people from diverse cultures and countries to be able to speak to each other.

Newly-admitted to the Commonwealth is Rwanda, as of last week, following in the footsteps of Mozambique, which speaks Portuguese. Do you think this dilutes something essential to the Commonwealth?

No, the very opposite. I have referred to English as a means of communication, and we do know nowadays that a great deal of English is spoken by countries and people for whom English is not a first language, because of its power as a lingua franca. But there is another aspect; I think that perhaps countries like Rwanda, and indeed Mozambique, and I understand there are other non English-speaking countries possibly joining in the future, and I think they join the Commonwealth for a range of reasons, and one of them may be that perhaps countries are like people; they want to belong to communities, and communities which perhaps reflect a set of interests that they feel is important. So, Rwanda joining the Commonwealth is something I see as something positive. The bigger the embrace, the more common the interests, the better. I see this as a positive move.

Finally, a recent British Council study has found that less and less Indians are speaking English- obviously the largest and most populous country in the Commonwealth- and, in fact, there are more English-speakers in China than there are in India. With a rising India, and a rising China, is the use of English really still that important?

I think it most certainly is. The key issue here is the aspect of English as a lingua franca. A Chinese businessman speaking to, perhaps, a Brazilian businessman will be speaking English, more than likely, as the common language of communication. I’ll come back to India in a second. You mentioned China; China is also promoting the use of Mandarin, it has launched, I believe, ‘Confucius Centres’ throughout the world to promote the use of Mandarin. But it takes many, many years for this to happen; I mean English has had several centuries, for a whole host of reasons- political, imperial, business and media, web communications now- to gain an ascendancy. It will take an equivalent for perhaps Mandarin to have that same sort of currency in the world. The same could apply to India, and Indian languages. I understand that there are periods when a country wants to promote its own national identity and culture, and perhaps views English as eroding that. But, equally, English is a part of India, it is an official language, and the question is not how Indians will communicate internally, within India, but how they will communicate externally, with the world at large. English exists as a global entity, as I said at the beginning of this, it’s almost more than a language, in its role. So I don’t see this as a bad thing or a good thing, simply as a natural cycle.

Richard Bourne, founding head of the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, examines the complicated relationship between the Commonwealth and Civil Society.

In an article published in The Round Table in September 2004, he states that recent years have seen a deepening relationship between the official Commonwealth- the Secretariat and member governments- and the world of non-governmental organisations and civil society. He does, however, highlight some key problems.

Commonwealth NGOs, he says, are primarily “meetings based” and “semi-voluntary”, while the financial limitations of the Secretariat itself restricts activities. Increasingly some are looking for funding outside Commonwealth countries.

But this does not mean all Commonwealth NGOs are facing problems- some are living up to the ‘pan-Commonwealth’ ideal. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has moved from London to Delhi, and has a large office in Accra. In 2003 the Commonwealth Journalists association moved from London to Port of Spain.

One of his conclusions is that CHOGM must be politically significant for Commonwealth NGOs to be successful. Do you agree?

You can read the full article, free of charge.

Bourne, Richard, The Commonwealth and Civil Society: Deepening foundations, or appreciating limits?, The Round Table, Vol. 93 No. 376, 547-560, September 2004

Nowadays people have become networked on a scale unimagined even 25 years ago, never mind a century. How relevant and robust is the Commonwealth’s third sector in this interconnected world? What are the drivers that shape civil society today, and how do they affect our Commonwealth of peoples? With the pressures of global markets and new technologies, will our people’s organisations be strong enough to take on the competition?

Civil society organisations come in many shapes and sizes and long may it be so. But their form must follow function. It is crucial to remain focused on services and outcomes; competitive in terms of value for money; and contemporary in terms of attracting supporters through modern networking and membership schemes, and effective use of innovative technologies. With this toolkit, the people’s Commonwealth has a bright future. Indeed it might be the future for our unique association of nations.

The Commonwealth scores by having both a solid brand that brings associations together and keeps them in business (this is self-evident from the impressive survival rate of the 80 or so Commonwealth organisations and associations), and a strong set of core principles and values to underpin civil society networks and campaigns. But we should not underestimate the need to refresh the brand and check up on the currency of the underlying principles and values.

Many worry that the Commonwealth brand has fallen into a genteel decline as a result of paring of financial resources, self-effacing communications and loss of political influence. Commonwealth civil society is certainly in favour of a major investment to reverse these damaging trends. Similarly, civil society needs the Commonwealth to ensure that its agreed principles are updated and adhered to by governments.

The future success of our professional associations and NGOs depends on respect for the Commonwealth brand and its founding principles and values, which have stood the test of time but need to be maintained, evaluated regularly and enhanced in order to address contemporary challenges.

In an interview conducted by the RCS as part of the Commonwealth Conversation, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Zimbabwean Minister for Regional Integration and International Cooperation, emphasised how important the Commonwealth is to Zimbabwe, but warned that it must do more to sell itself to the Zimbabwean people.

Transcript

Q: Last week a meeting was held in Harare as part of the Commonwealth Conversation. The people of Zimbabwe were keen to see further involvement with the Commonwealth. Why do you think this is?

A: I think it is such because the people of Zimbabwe do have a relationship with the Commonwealth, they have known of the Commonwealth from way back, during our liberation struggle. However, what has been lacking is the translation of that relationship into something people can relate to at a practical level.

I always give an example that if you say Zimbabwe will no longer be participating in the world cup they would be uproar in the streets. But the reason you did not see uproar when Zimbabwe pulled out of the Commonwealth is because a whole lot of Zimbabweans did not have an appreciation of practical issues about the Commonwealth. How the Commonwealth can bring people together, how Zimbabwe and Ghana can relate within the context of the Commonwealth. They see how South Africa and Zimbabwe relate, but they do not understand how Ghana, Kenya, Britain relates.

Q: So what are the benefits of Commonwealth membership for Zimbabwe?

A: I think the benefits for one are the sharing of experience. Zimbabwe at the moment is building new institutions. New local government structures, where they need to be learning from other countries that are around the Commonwealth. To learn how to effectively use the Local Government structures. We are beginning to build institutions like the human rights institutions, media commission, Zimbabwe electoral commission. The commonwealth has this vast experience around the running of elections – so sharing best practises – and being part of a family and sharing those values.

Q: And finally, do you envisage a point of the future when Zimbabwe will rejoin the Commonwealth?

A: Certainly. There is a general agreement that we need to be reengaging with the international community. If you go back even to President Mugabe’s speech at the opening of Parliament, he said “we seek to reengage with the international community”. He did not say minus the Commonwealth. So I do see a day to which we will rejoin.

“Here in St Lucia, we value our membership highly. Not just for prestige, but for the kind of cooperation that exists between member territories, such as the advice that we receive, technical assistance and an opportunity to participate in the design of the modern world. The Commonwealth plays a major role in this. It is not influential within itself, but influential at the international level. We have a great opportunity to influence the direction of the world. Whether it is at the G20 or at the United Nations, our membership of 53 certainly goes a long way.”

“There are some very relevant issues that we, as small island states with all of our vulnerabilities, face. Be it climate change or the world financial crisis, these are issues that we would hope our more established and more economically viable brothers and sisters - five of whom are part of the G20 - would see, recognize, embrace and join us in the advocacy process. To be able to receive that international appeal that we so much call for and to articulate at the United Nations, or wherever that place may be, an appreciation of what we experience.”

Listen to the recordings here and here.

The Commonwealth should take a more active role in supporting and promoting local government. As an organisation it should return to what it does best: fostering partnerships and positive links. It is on a local level that the future success of the Commonwealth will be seen.

Local government is often viewed as the poor relation to its glamorous national associates, but it is through us that thriving, safer communities are developed, and the Millennium Development Goals will be delivered. It is best placed to provide basic services such as water, sanitation and primary health care for its people. It is closest to them and knows their needs and concerns. It is where involvement and consultation can be focused and effective channels for the engagement of local people and other stakeholders in the wider work the Commonwealth does can be built.

Why then is this crucial element of modern democracy all too often ignored by heads of Government in important international discussions?

Several things need to change for the Commonwealth to fully utilise the power of local government.

It must show genuine respect for the Commonwealth Aberdeen Agenda which set out the principles for good governance in local government. Better partnerships between different levels of government need to be encouraged and we must not be ignored in the big decisions made about sustainable development. On issues such as climate change and disaster management, local authorities are on the front line. But to have a big impact they must have adequate resources.

The CLGF links local authorities when they are trying to tackle common problems, and can learn from each other. We bring cities and towns together in a network which fosters collaboration, and have spearheaded a project to develop an international peer review mechanism to measure and evaluate success in local democracy and good governance. But for this to continue and develop we need more support.

The strengths of the Commonwealth, its diversity and common values and solidarity, means it is well placed to make a difference and share good practice and knowledge whatever the field. Local government must be central to this. With its network of central ministries responsible for local government, local government associations, individual provinces, town and rural councils, the Commonwealth has the potential to make real and noticeable difference to the two billion people it represents. It needs to wake up to its own potential.

It used to be that travelling through the Commonwealth was quick and easy.

In Canada in the 1960s the Commonwealth was shown on world maps and my passport was marked with ‘British Subject’ alongside ‘Canadian Citizen’.

When I visited the UK in 1971 there were three queues at the airport UK passports, Commonwealth passports and All Other passports.

That all came to an end in 1973 when the UK joined the then EEC, now EU.

Now when I travel to the UK, people from countries with no historical ties speed through quicker than Canadians and Australians who share the Queen as head of state! It’s an outrage.

Citizens of the EU can also stay and get jobs, while I cannot. I am luckier than some other Commonwealth visitors that I do not need a visa to visit the UK, while many others do. People today say ‘what is the point of even having a Commonwealth if it carries no privileges for ordinary people when travelling among its member countries?’ It is on this personal level that the Commonwealth is losing its relevance.

This article was written by James Alcock. Do you agree with his viewpoint? Should the Commonwealth ease mobility between its members?

Since the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) started in 1959, it has ‘grown to be one of the most prestigious schemes for international study and development in the world’, and many beneficiaries have gone on to positions of great influence in their own countries and globally. The shared cultures, education systems and language between Commonwealth countries also mean that there are many other educational exchanges and partnerships that take place on?a less formal level across the Commonwealth.

Have you studied in another Commonwealth country, either with or without the support of a Commonwealth scholarship? What has the Commonwealth dimension of your exchange meant to you? Or have you wanted to study but been unable to do so? Do you think that student exchanges are a crucial part of the Commonwealth’s added value?